Transcript of "55"

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WHAT TO TEACH ABOUT THE HOLOCAUST
From: The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance
http://www.holocaustremembrance.com/educate/teaching-guidelines
In general, teaching about the Holocaust should:
1. Advance knowledge about this unprecedented destruction
2. Preserve the memory of those who suffered
3. Encourage educators and students to reflect upon the moral and
spiritual questions raised by the events of the Holocaust and as
they apply in today's world
These aims can be clearly seen in the following definitions of the
Holocaust:
Under the cover of the Second World War, for the sake of their "new
order," the Nazis sought to destroy all the Jews of Europe. For the first
time in history, industrial methods were used for the mass extermination
of a whole people. Six million were murdered, including 1,500,000
children. This event is called the Holocaust. The Nazis enslaved and
murdered millions of others as well. Gypsies, people with physical and
mental disabilities, Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, trade unionists,
political opponents, prisoners of conscience, homosexuals, and others
were killed in vast numbers. Imperial War Museum, London, UK
The Holocaust refers to a specific genocidal event in twentieth-century
history: the state-sponsored, systematic persecution and annihilation of
European Jewry by Nazi Germany and its collaborators between 1933 and
1945. Jews were the primary victims -6 million were murdered; Gypsies,
the handicapped, and Poles were also targeted for destruction or
decimation for racial, ethnic, or national reasons. Millions more,
including homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Soviet prisoners of war, and
political dissidents, also suffered grievous oppression and death under
Nazi tyranny. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington,
D.C., USA
The Holocaust was the murder of approximately six million Jews by the
Nazis and their collaborators. Between the German invasion of the Soviet
Union in the summer of 1941 and the end of the war in Europe in May
1945, Nazi Germany and its accomplices strove to murder every Jew
under their domination. Because Nazi discrimination against the Jews

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began with Hitler's accession to power in January 1933, many historians
consider this the start of the Holocaust era. The Jews were not the only
victims of Hitler's regime, but they were the only group that the Nazis
sought to destroy entirely. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, Israel
Teaching about the Holocaust can and must be different in various
contexts. In order to see the differences between the Holocaust and
other genocides, comparisons should be carefully distinguished and
similarities also should be articulated.
When teaching about the Holocaust, it is helpful to address three basic
questions:
1. Why shall I teach about the Holocaust? 2. What shall I teach
about the Holocaust? 3. How shall I teach about the Holocaust?
The first question involves issues of rationale. The second question
involves selection of information, while the third question deals with
appropriate pedagogical approaches based on the student group. These
guidelines do not address the first and third questions. These questions
will be addressed in other guidelines.
In addition to history, the Holocaust can also be approached through
other disciplines, such as literature, psychology, religious studies, and
others.
As national and local commemorative activities are seen to be of value,
it is advised to provide educational support to such activities.
The study of the Holocaust must be examined within the context of
European history as a whole. We encourage educators to also examine
the local context for this history. Educators should provide context for
the events of the Holocaust by including information about:
• Antisemitism
• Jewish life in Europe before the Holocaust
• The aftermath of World War
• The Nazi rise to power
As for the historical themes or topics connected with teaching about the
Holocaust, educators might examine the following, among others, when
constructing lessons on the Holocaust. As they do so, they may consider

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• Displaced persons camps and emigration
The purpose of these guidelines is to strengthen teaching about the
Holocaust. The teaching will be different from country to country, from
school to school, and from time to time. Therefore, it is understood that
it is important to stress the need for self-evaluation of teaching efforts
by all educators.